Absorbent soap rest



Dec. 9, 1952 A. J. RUSSAK ABSORBENT SOAP REST Filed Nov. 19, 1948 JNVENTOR. ALEXANDERJRUSSAK Patented Dec. 9, 195.2.

ABSORBENT SOAP REST Alexander J. Russak, Elmhurst, N. Y.

Application November 19, 1948, Serial No. 61,059

4 Claims.

-The subject of this invention is a novel and valuable article for use as a direct support for a cake of soap, between uses of thelatter, then to prevent or markedly diminish loss of soap material by facilitating air drying off of the soppy-soap and watery additions usually left on the soap cake following a use thereof, and also then to receive and retain and absorb or adsorb such saponaceous drippings as fall from the soap cake as well as the more or less gummy or viscous outer layer of such cake developed thereon, thereby in turn to condition said support for subsequent use itself as a saponifying element employable in substitution for a soap cake.

As the invention is preferably carried out, said support, which may ordinarily be placed at any appropriate location, as in a familiar soap dish, or at a convenient carrying surface such as is customarily found on or near a wash basin, a

tub or any other washing place, is a pad-like mass of spongy material, for instance, a generally planiform segment of a natural or artificial sponge.

As the invention is also desirably carried out, one of the sides, and preferably both the opposite sides, of the support, is interrupted by 10- calized main recesses, as channels, to give a better air circulation relative to the soap cake. When said recesses are channels at both sides'of the new article, they are desirably so arranged that what may be termed cross ventilation is provided and at the same time in a way to augment the generally pliant and flexible characteristic of the article. Such flexibility is advantageous in using the article itself as a saponifying agent as above mentioned.

The new article has been found to be so practicable, and so efilcient in saving soap, that it may aptly be called a soap econo-mis'er.

For further comprehension of the invention,

and of the objects and advantages thereof, ref-- erence will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more'particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a now favored embodiment of the article of the invention; which view, for example, may be assumed to be one in top plan.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 5 shows said article, as resting in a soap dish indicated in dot and dash lines.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form of the'article.

Fig. 7 ShOWs a variation of such modification.

Fig. 8, on a reduced scale, illustrates two of the new articles seated side by side in a soap dish indicated in dot and dash lines.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the new article is illustrated at ID as incorporating a pad-like and generally rectangular elongate member comprising a piece of a natural or artificial sponge.

Assuming as. already stated that the side of this member seen in Fig. 1 is to be usedas the upper side thereof while a soap cake II is resting thereon between uses of the latter, such upper side is illustrated as provided with main recesses established by two longitudinally extend ing channels l2 and two laterally extending channels l4 intersecting the channels l2, and the under side of said member is illustrated as provided with main recesses established by one longitudinally extending channel I5 and one laterally extending channel l6 intersecting the channel I5. Whichever side of the member I!) be placed uppermost, a preferable feature is that the channels I 2 are staggered relative to the channel l5, and the channels 14 are staggered relative to the channel [6. Desirably, as shown, the channels at one side of the member H) are deeper than the channels at the other side of said member.

While the sponge material is naturally of a highdegree of pliancy and flexibility, such flexibility is increased by-channels or the like at one side of the member l0, and is more increased by channels or the like at both opposite sides of said member; and when there are channels or the like on both sides of the member I0, but staggered as above, there is maximum flexibility, but without harmfully locally weakening any part of the member.

When, after a use of the soap cake I I the same is dropped casually on the member ID, with the latter say lying in a, soap dish such as indicated at H in Fig. 5, air drying of both said member and said cake is accelerated by the air circulation through the channels. At the same time, the saponaceous drippings from the soap cake are deposited and retained in the channels and in the surface or other lesser interstices of the material of which the member I0 is made.

Some standard soap receptacles are large enough to have laid therein, side by side, twd'of the members H], as shown in Fig. 8, where the receptacle is indicated at 11. Each of these members may be later used in the manner next mentioned.

After some time, and indeed such a short length of time as would hardly be believed possible by the ordinary householder, a member used as a soap cake support becomes so loaded with soapy material that it may itself be used as a soap cake is used, but with the advantage that it also has some of the attributes of a washcloth, due to its pliancy and flexibility. When all or some of its soapy content has been used, it is ready again to be employed as a soap cake support.

Referring to the modification of Fig. 6, the soap cake supporting member, here marked Ill, is shown as having suitably permanently attached thereto a relatively less flexible addition l8, which addition may be, as illustrated, a bar-like piece, as one of a plastic, shaped to'have a-more or less flat bottom and a laterally-smoothly rounded upper surface. The addition i3 is extended diagonally across the supporting member I9 and is attached in any convenient way to the member 19; for instance, the addition may be apertured near its ends, and by way of such apertures riveted, stapled or even stitched to said member.

The presence of the addition 13 or an equivalent provides a ledge at a higher level than that of the major upper surface of the member ID, materially aiding in the drying off of the soap cake and facilitating the free drip of so-ppy soap material onto said member. On the other hand, the presence of such an addition does not preclude use of the member NJ as a substitute for the usual soap cake, as the smoothly rounded shape of the exposed area of the-addition cannot scrape, and its inclusion does not cause loss of pliancy and flexibility of the member 19" along lines more or less parallel to the direction of extension of the addition.

As indicated in Fig. 7, the addition [8' is placed to extend otherwise than diagonally of the supporting member ID.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the'scope of the invention and being staggered with relation tothe chan-.

nels of the said one face, said channels of one of the faces being deeper than the channels of the other face, and an addition of flexible material of uniform cross-sectional shape from end to end and somewhat stiffer than said piece of material secured to either face of said piece of material forming a raised support for a cake of soap resting on the face to which said addition is secured.

2. A soap support comprising a solid piece of flexible spongy material, a plurality of crossing channels formed in one face of said piece of material, a greater number of crossing channels formed in the other face of said piece of material and being staggered with relation to the channels of the said one face, said channels of one of the faces being deeper than the channels of the other face, and an addition of flexible material of uniform cross-sectional shape from end to end'and somewhat stiffer than said piece of material secured to either face of said piece 'ofmaterial forming a raised support for a cake of soap resting on the face to which said addition is secured, said addition being a bar and having a flat side facing the side of said piece of material to which it is attached and a smoothly rounded side face facing away from the side of said piece of material to which it is attached.

3. A soap support comprising a solid piece of flexible spongy material, a plurality of crossing channels formed in one face of said piece of material, a greater number of crossing channels formed in the other face of said piece of material and being staggered with relation to the channels of the said one face, said channels of one of the faces being deeper than the channels of the other face, and an addition of flexible material of uniform cross-sectional shape from end to end and somewhat stifier than said piece of material secured to either face of said piece of material forming a raised support for a'cake of soap resting on the face to which said additionis secured, said piece of material being elongated and said addition being secured to said piece of material adjacent to and with its length extended parallel to one of the longer sides of said piece of material.

4. A soap support comprising a solid piece of flexible spongy materiaL'a plurality of crossing channels formed in one face of said piece of material, a greater number of crossing channels formed in the other face of said piece of mate-.

rial and being staggered with relation to the channels of the said one face, said channels of one of the faces being deeper than the channels of the other face, and an addition of flexible material of uniform crossrsectional shape from end to end and somewhat stiffer than said piece of material secured to. either face of said piece of material forming. a raised support for a cake of soap resting on the face to which said addition is secured, said addition being elongated and secured to said piece of material with its length extended diagonally across said piece of material.

ALEXANDER J. RUSSAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

